Ashes Falling
by Kate Angell
Summary: It's been ten years since Zero has seen Yuki, and a lot has changed. Zero is a free-lance vampire hunter, Kaname is the pureblood king of vampries and Yuki? Well, she'd been murdered. Who could ever think to do that? Slightly AU. M/M. Kaname/Zero.
1. Chapter 1: Ten Years Later

_**A/N:** Hi there. Kate here. So, the first chapter. First off, this is slightly AU and set ten years after the end of the Anime. Um, I don't really have anything more to say, but this is my first M/M story and definitely one of my first for VK. Read and Enjoy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Although, things will be revealed in time._

_I do not own Vampire Knight or the characters. Satoru and Natsumi (and the plot) are the only things that belong to me. I do not write this for any personal gain, but purely for the enjoyment and entertainment of others._

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**Chapter One:**** Ten Years Later...**

_**Zero Kiryu slid the Bloody Rose **_back into its holster under his coat, the vines that had been wrapped around his arm and chest vanishing at the same time. It had been yet another Level E; an ex-human gone insane. They did tend to follow him around like lost little puppies. It would be quite amusing if it weren't for the fact that they were crazed beasts that only hungered for blood-and he kept having to kill them because they always seemed to be attacking him.

It had been ten year since that incident at Cross Academy, and a lot had happened in those ten years. He had started free-lancing as a Vampire Hunter, mainly because the Association were still deciding on a new leader since the old one had been murdered-they were adamant that Zero accept the role, but he refused. Quite stubbornly, too. He didn't want the job. Then again, Zero thought that they were just bickering like spoilt children.

"Nice shot," a familar voice called out from behind him as Zero straightened up, falling back against the alley wall. Zero had hoped to never hear that voice again... It also seemed like the ex-human was injured, what with the way he leant against the wall, obviously seeking its support.

Kaname Kuran stood not two feet from him, dressed all in black, the hood of his coat pulled up over his head. Zero could have kicked himself. How could he have not noticed that earlier? He groaned, letting his head fall back against the brick wall, staring blankly up at the cloudy, early evening sky. Kaname's gaze was on him, but Zero didn't care. Damnit, what was wrong with him? For two days now he'd been a little slow to react, the ache in his neck was hard to ignore and getting worse with every passing moment, but it was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. Kuran's next comment was still quite a shock; "Yuki is dead."

Zero didn't take his gaze off the sky for a long moment. "When?" The word was almost choked out as Zero brought his gaze down level with the pureblood's. Neither boy flinched from the intensity in the other's gaze.

"Two nights ago," the other vampire said, a little quieter than before. Zero stared at him for a moment, then sighed. Kaname looked sad. And why did he suddenly care about that?

"I see," was all the hunter said. The pair spent several long minutes in silence before Zero started sliding down the wall, a muffled gasp of pain escaping him. Kaname studied the hunter for several seconds before shaking his head-just a little.

"You're injured," Kaname commented, watching the hunter with his typical blank facade in place. Zero shot the other vampire a weak glare-a look Kaname appeared to be ignoring. And Zero noticed that. Not that he cared...

"Why are you here?" the ex-human muttered, looking away and clutching at his chest. The slashed clawmarks across it burned, and, for some reason, they weren't healing. Kaname didn't miss this movement-in fact, he was watching it closely, and with something close to concern in his eyes. But only if one were to look closely enough-otherwise he hid it well.

"You're bleeding," Kaname said, completely ignoring Zero's question. Zero scowled, sliding down the wall a little more. "We should move before more E's turn up," the pureblood added as he ran his gaze over Zero slowly. "That's if you can stand, Zero."

Zero couldn't miss that comment-the pureblood had used his first name and not his last, as Kaname normally would have done. The ex-human was suddenly curious-Why had Kuran done that? And again, why did Zero start to care about it?

"Ah," Kaname murmured, "perhaps you don't want to...move?" Zero met the pureblood's gaze, eyes narrowed in a pitiful mockery of anger. They kept their gazes locked for what seemed to be a long time, but in reality was only minutes. Neither boy seemed to notice.

"Why are you here, Kuran?" Zero demanded, pushing himself back up the wall. Before he could fully straighten up and push away from it, though, Zero's legs gave out and he crashed to the ground with a pain-filled groan. Kaname looked on with something close to pity in his gaze.

"Because, Zero, it's your turn now."

With that said, Kaname moved forward and crouched down beside Zero, sliding an arm under the ex-human's and swiftly guiding him to his feet. Then, in a blur of fluttering blackness, Zero found himself standing outside his appartment. How the hell did Kuran know where he lived? If someone was giving up his secrets, Zero was going to kill them! He frowned. Then again, it might have been Cross. Zero wouldn't put it past his old adopted 'father'.

"Keys," the pureblood murmured, sliding his hands across Zero's hips, searching his pockets. Both vampires were too preoccupied to notice their proximity to each other. Eventually, the older vampire glanced towards the younger's face in a silent show of seeking help. Zero found himself complying to the silent question.

"Front left," Zero muttered, pushing away from the other vampire to lean against the wall beside his front door. He was both trying to ignore the proximity of Kaname and his pure blood and the fact that Zero found it uncomfortable to be touched like that by the older vampire. He had never liked Kuran, had he? Zero suddenly found that he was unsure about even that. But why?

Eventally, Kaname retrieved the keys from Zero's pocket and unlocked the door, dragging the other vampire through the now-open door and into the house. The door slammed shut by itself-no doubt a show of the pureblood's frustration and maybe more than a little in anger. Both vampires ignored the low lighting of the open plan living/dining room and kitchen they now found themselves in.

Suddenly, Zero found himself slammed back against the wall just inside the door, Kaname's face inches from his, the glowing, bright-red eyes showing anyone who cared to look just how close Kaname was to losing it. He tried to ignore the pureblood's hand around his throat, and the other bunched up in his jacket. The scent of Zero's blood was getting to him-despite the fact that both boys hated each other; with a passion, born of the fact that, while Zero was a vampire, he was a Vampire Hunter first and Kaname was a pureblood. A vampire among vampires. It seemed that even a pureblood could be susceptible to bloodlust.

"Where were you two nights ago, Kiryu?" Kaname demanded. Zero held onto the older vampire's wrists, trying to remove the hand from around his throat-without much success. "Answer me!" Kaname stared into Zero's eyes-blood red, just like his own, betraying Zero's condition. The ex-human refused to answer-or couldn't, depending on one's point of view.

"He was here, with me."

Kaname started, head swinging towards the source of the disturbance. He swiftly released Zero and backed away from him, running a hand through his hair. As Kaname took in the girl standing in the doorway on the far side of the room, Zero slid down the wall until he sat on the floor, the wall his only support.

"Sayori?" Kaname asked, disbelief evident in his voice. The girl burshed her disheavled hair out of her face and nodded. Kaname looked back towards Zero and then back to Sayori. He couldn't believe it. Sayori was living with Zero? Didn't she know how dangerous that was?

Just as Sayori opened her mouth to speak, someone flew past her and into the room-moving much too fact to be human-before coming to an abrupt halt half-way between Sayori and the two vampires by the front door.

"Zero?"

Kaname stared at the young boy in front of him-a boy who could almost be Zero's son or a younger sibling. He looked so much like Zero that it was unnerving-right down to the silver-coloured hair and amethyst-coloured eyes. And, if Kaname was reading the boy's aura right, the child was a pureblood! Kaname was speechless-for about two seconds.

"Satoru!" Sayori protested, taking a step into the room, but she hesitated when she saw Kaname's unnerving red eyes dart towards her. The boy stared right back at Kaname, though, as if he couldn't believe it. Another pureblood. Such good luck-or was it bad? He'd have to wait and see.

Kaname turned his full attention back to Zero. "You do realise that this child is a pureblood, don't you?"

Zero met Kaname's gaze for a moment before turning his head away, eyes fixed of the wall to his left. Kaname let out a long-suffering sigh and ran a hand through his hair, gaze drifting back to the boy-Satoru, as Sayori had called him. Red faded into brown as the older pureblood took in the younger, a frown marring his features. Apparently Zero didn't feel like answering _that _question.

"He needs blood," Kaname suddenly announced, gesturing towards Zero. "A lot of it, Sayori," he added when the human girl made to speak. "Much more that you can provide-without draining you dry."

Sayori tugged the shirt that had fallen off her shoulder back up, hiding the bare skin from Kaname's gaze...but not before he saw the half-dozen fresh and fading bitemarks marring her skin. _Zero had been feeding on Sayori?_ Kaname found himself shocked all over again. But of course; the child was here. Kaname's gaze slid back to the silver-haired boy, the pureblood. _Now, what could that possibly be about?_

"Zero?" Kaname looked up as another voice rang out-female. The pureblood frowned, letting the other presence wash through him. A vampire, at least a noble. What was she doing here? "What's going on out here? I heard the noise and thought you'd brough an E home with you..."

The redhaired vamprie trailed off as she feel into place beside Sayori. He blues eyes went wide as she stared at Kaname. _What was a pureblood doing here? And Kaname Kuran at that! _The redhaired Noble was stunned. "Kuran-sama!" she gasped and bowed, keeping her head low.

Sayori ignoring the redhaired vampire and stepped into the room, tugging Satoru back, sliding her arms around the boy before lifting the young vampire up and settling him onto her hip. "Hello Kaname," Sayori said, keeping her tone netural. He gaze flickered past him to where Zero had collapsed. "Zero, are you alright?"

She knew he needed blood, but she also needed him to say something, _anything_. And he eventually complied, pushing against the wall a little and trying to stand. "I'm...I'll be fine," Zero muttered, clutchnig at his chest again. "I just need...blood, like Kaname said..." He groaned and fell back against the wall. Clearly he wasn't going to be moving under his own power any time soon.

Sayori noticed that the silver-haired vampire had used Kaname's first name but decided not to say anything. Instead, she settled for staring at Kaname, watching him as if he might attack. Satoru was still staring at Kaname while the redhead stayed in postion, still bowing.

"Natsumi," Zero panted, eyes on the redhead. "That's enough. Get over here will you?" IT wasn't an order, but a request; Zero had become good friends with the redhead, and surprisingly, he didn't hate her-she was actualyl ratehr nice. He shot Kaname a glance and the older pureblood returned it with a dark look. Zero ignored it.

The redhead straighten up, glancing towards Kaname, who shrugged. A relieved look flittered across her face before she crossed the room and crouched beside Zero, sliding an arm under the other vampire's arms. After a moment of hesitation, Kaname knelt to help and together, they got Zero on his feet, across the room and down the hall before finally getting him inside his room.

_**Kaname had left the room when**_ Zero had turned to Natsumi for blood and not him. But it wasn't a bad thing; it left him free to explore the house and a chance to try to talk to the boy, if Sayori would let him. Which she didn't. This left Kaname frustrated and a little...angry? _Or was it jealousy eating away at him right now?_ He tried very hard_ not _to think of Zero and the other vampire in one of the bedrooms, but the scent of her blood in the air _was not _helpnig things.

And so Kaname was left to watching Sayori and the young pureblood as they started bustling around in the kitchen. Satoru let Sayori handle the cooknig side of it while the young pureblood set the table and then disappeared off into the lounge section of the room, turning on the TV. Amusement was evident as Kaname leant against the breakfast counter seperating the kitchen area from the dining part, his gaze on the other side of the room and on the boy before the TV to the left of the front door.

"So," Sayori said as she set a frying pan down on the now lit stovetop. Kaname turned towards her. "What brings you out into the slums looking for Zero?" She spared the pureblood a glance before dropping several slices of bacon into the pan. Even after ten years, Sayori hadn't changed much. Kaname found it soothing. Coem to think of it, Zero hadn't even changed.

Kaname looked away again, towards Satoru and swallowed. Could he say it again? Should he? Sayori had a right to know; she was-had been-Yuki's friend. "Yuki died a couple of nights ago," he said slowly, softly, his voice tinged with sadness. He didn't look back towards Sayori, he couldn't. He knew she was upset; he'd heard her drop an egg, the shell cracknig when it hit the floor.

"Oh," Sayori whispered. Kaname didn't move, staring blankly at the young sliver-haired pureblood. Kaname heard Sayori cleaning up the mess and blinked, trying not to let the tears fall. He'd loved her, he truly had...but now...

"I thought it might have been Zero," he whispered, tilting his head to one side as he watched the boy. "But if you say he was here, then it wasn't him...even if Yuki was killed with Hunter weapons."

The silence behind him brought Kaname's head round. Sayori stood still, one hand holding the broken egg and a cloth, the other resting on the pan's handle. Kaname sighed, shaknig his head and crossing to her side. He gently took the handle out of her grip and nudged her out of the way. She blinked, glancing towards him as he took over cooking. She hadn't realised he even knew how.

Slowly, Sayori dumped the rubbish into the bin and then went to the sink, wahsing her hands. It was about then that Kaname stiffened and she heard a door open. Looknig up, Sayori saw Zero limping out into the living room. He looked towards Kaname and then past the pureblood to Sayori. "Natsumi is sleeping now," he announced, joining the pureblood and the human in the kitchen area.

Kaname let Sayori take back the pan and stepped away from her, turning to face Zero. The ex-human met his gaze quickly then swiftly looked away. "Something wrong, Zero?" Kaname asked as the ex-human leaned against the counter. Zero, who had been pressing a palm over the slashed marks on his chest, removed his hand and let Kaname see the wound. The pureblood grabbed his wrist before Zero could cover it again.

"I took as much as I could without seriously compromising her," he began, closing his eyes. His voice was low as he spoke. _Urgent_. Kaname knew that this was hard for Zero to admit, but he knew Zero was talking to Sayori at the moment. zero had hated what he was, all those years ago back at Cross Academy. "But...it's still bleeding." Kaname could see that, and he was worried. _What the hell had that damn E done?_ "It's won't stop..."

Sayori, whose attention was half on the cooking and half on Kaname and Zero, spoke up. "Use my room," she said, eyeing the nasty gashes across Zero's chest. "I'll keep Satoru out here..."

Kaname glanced towards the human girl. She wasn't looking at them now, but he could tell she wanted to help. He returned his gaze to Zero, leaning forwards to inspect the wound. it was healing, but still bleeding slugishly. Zero met his gaze when he lookd up. "Are you sure?" he asked. He knew Zero didn't like him, but it seemed that the ex-human's problem wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Kaname had done the math; if he left Zero like this, it would take days for the wound to heal and by then, Zero could be dead. The ex-human was desperate if he was asking Kaname to help...

When the ex-human failed to answer, his eyes falling shut, Kaname decided for him. After all, the boy _was _pale, and, by the way he appeared to be shaking, he seemed to have some kind of fever. Kaname frowned, tugging the Zero after him as he headed for the doorway that led deeper into the appartment.

_**Sayori stared at the frying pan **_somewhat blankly ater Kaname retreated to her room with Zero. _Yuki was dead... Her friend was _dead. Sayori was sad, but she wasn't crying. She sure felt like it, but she'd cried herself dry years ago. Satoru was watchni TV, but she knew he was istening to everything that went on in the house. The walls weren't exactly soundproofed, even though it Natsumi's appartment. Apparently the redhaired vampire hated soundproofing... Sayori wasn't complaining, though.

Still...she couldn't beleive it. After all this time, after_ ten years _as a pureblood vampire, Yuki was dead. Defeated by a _Hunter weapon_ of all things. It was crazy... Impossibly crazy. How could it even happen? How could anyone look at Yuki and think of killing her? Sayori rubbed at face, her eyes, as she cooked breakfast. It may be early evening, but as she was on a vampire schedule, Sayori was cooking breakfast, having just woken up herself when Kaname had dragged Zero home.

Frowning, she glanced towards the hall doorway. It had been over an how since Zero had feed from Natsumi and then been dragged off by Kaname to feed from the pureblood. Now why would Kaname do that? She sighed, turning her attention back onto the food. Zero had been gone all day by the looks of it. She'd check his bedroom earlier; the sheets had been untouched. Sayori knew he'd been having trouble sleeping...but going days without it? Something must have disturbed Zero deeply for that to happen... Then again, he hardly seemed to sleep before. Sayori was worried about the ex-human. He seemed troubled.

"Sayori?" Satoru's voice brought Sayori out of her reverie and she blinked. The boy was beside her, tugging on her shirt. She turned towards him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Satoru?"

The boy's lips quirked. "The food is burning."

"Oh!" Sayori yelped, rushnig to pull it off the stove and shut off the flames. "Thank you, Satoru."

The boy just shot her a smile and went back to his spot on the far side of the room, attention returning to the TV. Sayori smiled faintly as she watched him. He may be a vampire, but he was such a child sometimes. She sighed and turned to dish out the food, having made extra for Kaname.

She looked up when she heard the door open again to see Kaname step out into the hall. He shut the door gently behind him, one hand rubbing at his neck. He glanced towards her and smiled, walking down the hall and into the room, comg to join her at the breakfast bench.

"He's sleeping," he said, keepnig his voice low. He'd realised that the place wasn't soundproofed. Sayori raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she crossed to the sink and set the pan down in it before returning to the bench and pulling open a draw. "He'll be fine come morning."

Sayori nodded and handed Kaname the knife and fork she'd pulled out of the draw before retrieving some for herself. "Glad to hear," she said, turning away as Kaname pulled a plate towards him. "Satoru, breakfast is ready."

The young pureblood swiftly joined them at the bench, climbing up onto a stool before settling down and dragging his plate close to him. He accepted the utensiles Sayori handed him and tore into the food happily. Kaname smiled, watching the boy as he ate. Then he spared Sayori a glance. She ate slowly, eyes on the boy. Kaname knew she was worried about Zero, and the others...and that she was hiding thep ain at hearing of Yuki's death well. He choose not to say anything and went back to eating.

The trio ate in silence and then Sayori and Satoru cleaned up while Kaname went to check on Zero and then Natsumi. Zero slept peacfully; Kaname had realised the ex-human was tired and had sent him to sleep. The younger vamprie would be angry with him, but that would be when he woke up. It was for his own good, though. He was healing better asleep. Natsumi was awake when Kaname checked on her. She seemed fine, just tired. Kaname let her be after she told him he was going to shower and then join them out in the lounge room.

Satisfied that the other two seemed fine, Kaname retreated to the lounge, dropping on the couch set before the TV. Sayori spared him a glance but didn't leave the kitchen as she dried the plates and Satoru put them away. Several minutes late, she realised that Kaname was drifting off.

"Kaname?" she called, dragging the pureblood back from the edge of sleep. "Maybe you should go sleep. There is a bedroom free, you know that." She went back to washing and wiping while Satoru out things away, dilberately ignoring the pureblod now.

Kaname sat up, running a hand through his hair. He was tired. After being up for several days straight, spending msot of those days looking for Yuki's killer and then letting the ex-human take from him. He sighed. He shouldn't have let Zero take that much. Resigned, Kaname forced himself to his feet and retreated to the bedroom he'd left Zero in. Sure, he could have taken a room for himself, but really. This was Zero, and the ex-human had passed out; he'd be asleep for hours. Beside, Kaname felt safe with Zero...whcih was kind of odd. Then again, he'd been aching for the ex-human for ten years...

He sighed again, closing the door softly and crossing to the bed. Sayori's room was subdued; no photos, nothing at all personal laying about. It was...almost disturbing but Kaname tried to ignore it. Instead, he focused on the silver-haired hunter laying on the bed. He looked so peaceful there, so much like the angel his silver hair and amethyst eyes reminded Kaname of. The pureblood stared at the ex-human for a moment longer before he joined him on the bed, shifting Zero so that the ex-human ended up in his arms, head resting on Kaname's shoulder. Slowly, Kaname drifted off to sleep, the ex-human hunter sleeping soundly in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2: Dreams & Decisions

_**A/N: **Well, there you go. Finally done! I wanted to make the 'dream' at the start longer...but it was more of a glimpse into the past, really. Hope you enjoy it, anyways. I'll try to nake the next 'flashback'-style thing longer, yes? And as for the honorifics. I'm going to try to use them as little as possible, since I haven't really got any idea what I'm doing in that aspect._

_Thanks for the reviews, guys. I'll try to set things straight without giving too much away. "Is Satoru Kaname and Zero's son?" Ahhh, I really can't answer that... And Satoru looks around ten-ish in human years, but he's really a few years older. Maybe fourteen-ish in vampire years... I think I put that in here somewhere... And about Kaname loving Zero? Well, now. You'll just have to read it and find out, won't you? *winks* The next chapter might not be up until late may, though, since I'm moving in about two weeks time. Gah, I hate sorting and packing. x.x_

_Anyhow, enjoy the chapter! And yes, that is one confused ex-human. ._

___**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or the characters. Satoru and Natsumi (and the plot) are the only things that belong to me. I do not write this for any personal gain, but purely for the enjoyment and entertainment of others._  


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**Chapter Two: Dreams & Decisions.  
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**She had found him again, Zero **_realised. She always seemed to be able to, even before... But he never said a word as she approached the stables, head lowered; he knew she was looking at her feet._

_"Yuki," he whispered and she looked up. He'd moved fast to stand in the doorway, blocking her from coming in. She just smiled at him. Zero knew his horse wouldn't like her, so he stepped out into the fading sunlight, realizing belatedly that he'd missed change over again._

_"Zero," she replied and then proceeded to tell him off for missing the change over yet again. Zero just smiled at her and eventually, she gave up and threw her arms around his neck._

But that was...before she returned to her true self. Before she broke his heart and left with his enemy... An enemy who said it was Zero's turn now. The ex-human frowned in his sleep and rolled over, towards the warmth that shared his bed. Hestirred, sleep still holding him just under the point of waking completely. Warm. He was enveloped in warmth. Someone held him and Zero snuggled into it, letting out a small, satisified little sigh. Kaname's lips quirked, even as he kept his eyes closed and waited for the ex-human to wake up. Zero could scent the pureblood, but it didn't register at all as he buried his face into the warmth's shoulder.

As the younger vampire began to wake up more and actually recognise the scent he was breathing in, Kaname let him roll away and slipped out of the room. Zero sat up as the door clicked shut, blinking sleepily. What the... He had smelt Kuran in here earlier, while he was sort of asleep. Frowning, Zero inhaled deeply through his nose and then scrunched it up. Yup, Kuran had been in here. Shaking his head, the ex-human stumbled to his feet and started muttering curses under his breath. He paced the length of the room and back again, growling about stupid, stuck up, stubborn, good-for-nothing purebloods.

After several minutes, he went to take a shower. He had to get rid of the pureblood's smell somehow. It was both disgusting to him, and distracting him-at the same time. It _had _to _go_.

Meanwhile, Kaname was back out in the kitchen area, leaning against the bench opposite the front door. He listened to Zero cursing him out as the ex-human paced, a smug look on his face. The pureblood then listened as the door opened and Zero stormed off down the hall. It was dawn, but Kaname didn't feel tired. Nor did he think that he'd sleep at all today. He sighed. It was was going to be a long day, full of sunlight and a couple of grumpy vampires. Kaname smirked, turning his attention to Sayori as she wandered around, dressed in jeans and a loose top. The pureblood watched her, frowning. What did she do all night?

Then he shook his head. There was something more important that he should be thinking of...something he should be planning. Kaname nodded, closing his eyes and bringing up the 'board', as he called it, that he seemed to be manipulating. Except, of course, he wasn't the only player, was he?

Either way, he had to get back to the matter at hand. Yuki was dead. Killed by a hunter weapon, and since it hadn't been Zero who killed her...then who else would have? It wasn't the Association-they were too busy bickering between themselves over who would lead since Zero had refused, at least, for now. Oh, yes. Kaname knew all about Zero's refusal of the Hunter's Association. And he couldn't help but wonder _why_. Zero would have had the resources to start hurting him, Yuki and everyone else like them down. In other words; Pureblood vampires. Kaname shut down that train of thought. Although, Zero had seemed to have reconsidered it, since he was harbouring a pureblood himself. A _young _one. Satoru only seemed to be about ten years old-at least, he looked it in human terms. In vampire terms, he was perhaps a few years older. Twelve, at the most. Kaname shook his head-that train of thought didn't help either. He had to focus.

Now, what had happened in his so-called game so far? Ah, yes. Yuki. A pureblood killed with hunter weapons and yet there was no trace of who had done it? No lingering scent, no blood, no trail to follow. No footsteps. Nothing. Kaname frowned. Unless her attacker had been a vampire and was still alive? Kaname quickly decided against that. If it had been a vampire, Yuki had either destroyed it, or it was highly skilled or stronger than her. That was a much more plausible situation, and a much more reasonable thought for Kaname.

Conclusion? Yuki's death was caused by an unknown aggressor. But who was it? And what were their reasons behind the attack? Kaname opened his eyes to see Satoru watching him. What was the kid doing awake? Kaname blinked at the younger pureblood.

"What were you doing?" he asked Kaname. The older pureblood just frowned at him.

"Planning," Kaname replied, distractedly. He looked up to see Zero in the doorway, hair wet and eyes narrowed. He must be slipping. The ex-human had made it all the way into the room and was just standing there, staring at him. And Kaname hadn't heard or felt him move. The pureblood frowned. Perhaps he had been too caught up in his own plotting to notice? Kaname nodded, lowering his gaze. Yes, that was probably it.

"Oh," Satoru muttered. Then the younger pureblood turned away, but Kaname was no longer paying attention. Zero looked much better, after taking blood from two different vampires, oneo f which a pureblood, the wounds he'd recieved the night before had vanished completely.

Kaname was suddenly frowning again. Now, what was he going to do about Zero and the others here? _Well... _Kaname paused, mid-thought. If Zero didn't kill her, maybe he could help find out who did? He was a hunter, wasn't he? And he was also a vampire. Kaname smiled. Well, now. There was that...other thing, too. The part about it being Zero's turn now, wasn't there? Kaname's smile grew, transformnig into a grin. Now, if only he could get the hunter to agree.

_**Zero stared at the vampire leaning **_casually against the bench in the kitchen. _What on earth had possessed the pureblood to sleep in the same bed as him? _The ex-human shook his head and crossed the room, toussling his hair as he walked. That look they had exchanged jsut now had been...awkward, to put it simply. Zero didn't know what was behind it, or what it meant. But Kaname Kuran had _never _given Zero Kiryu such a heated look before-and the ex-human would bet his gun away that the pureblood hadn't even realised he'd done so.

"Sayori, what are you doing?" Zero asked, completely ignoring the other vampire as he stepped into the kitchen area. The human shot Zero a glare that sould rival even Zero's best glares. "You've been up all night," he chided, softening his tone a little. "Go to bed!"

Sayori's glare faltered, and she suddenly looked weary. Zero gently took the mug she had been holding and placed it in the sink, before taking the human by the elbow and steering her towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Zero watched her go before rounding on the pureblood.

"What were you doing sleeping in the same bed as me last night?" he demanded harshly, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Kaname just raised an eyebrow, as if to say, _'well, what do you think I was doing?' _Zero blinked. He hadn't been expecting to see that kind of expression on the pureblood's face. Kaname Kuran had always seemed so...so _impassive _and stoic. He didn't usually have an expression, unless it was anger, sadness or loneliness. Zero had never understood why Kaname had been so sad and lonely...until that fateful day when the pureblood had returned Yuki to her original state.

"Nothing that should concern you," Kaname replied, brushing off the question. "Do you remember what I told you last night?" he asked, changing the subject. Zero's eyes narrowed even more. He nodded curtly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kaname just gazed back for a moment. "Well, since you didn't do it, then I'm asking you to help find out who did." Here, Kaname paused, studying Zero for a moment. "I know you still loved her," the pureblood said softly, eyes softening as he spoke. Zero's gaze flickered away briefly and Kaname had his answer. "Wouldn't you love to know who killed her?" the pureblood asked, still in that soft tone of voice.

Zero spared the pureblood a fleeting glance before looking away again. This time, he dilberately avoided eye contact with Kaname. "You know my answer," Zero muttered, dropping his arms.

Kaname recognised defeat when he saw it. "So, will you come with me?" he asked, red-brown eyes still on the ex-human before him. Zero's gaze flickered towards Satoru. The younger pureblood had been standing nearby, quietly observing the pair while they spoke. When Zero's gaze brushed his, the young pureblood had offered a small smile and a curt nod. Kaname's breathing hitched-he understood. "You don't want to risk the ones you care for, do you?" he asked. Zero relunctantly met the older pureblood's gaze and nodded stiffly, his eyes haunted. "I see," Kaname murmured. Then he paused, as if in thought, which he was, before adding, "Why not bring them with you? I have plently of room at the manor, and we won't be that far away from the Academy."

Zero stiffened, then glanced towards Satoru again. The younger pureblood was smiling. Zero sighed, suddenly understanding. Kaname thought that Zero might want to visit Cross, and perhaps his brother's grave. And Satoru wanted to know more about purebloods and the vampire world. The poor vampire child had been with Zero for years; he hadn't been exposed to the kind of culture a pureblooded vampire child should have been exposed to. Zero met Kaname's gaze again. He nodded. "Okay, but I'm not going to put up with those looks, Kuran." Kaname watched as Zero turned and left the room, headed back to the bedroom. He paused in the doorway and turned back. "By the way," Zero called, "When do we leave?"

The older pureblood smiled. "Immediately," he replied. Zero scowled and disappeared into one of the bedrooms. He was probably going to go and wake up the others to pack. The pureblood sighed and then Kaname's gaze fell on Satoru. "So," he questioned gently. "What do you want to know?"

Satoru smiled and opened his mouth, asking Kaname a question. The older pureblood grinned, letting the younger see his fangs. Yes, the boy was going to be an interesting asset...with the right training, of course. And Kaname fully intended to teach the young pureblood as much as he could. Seemingly oblivious to the other vampires in the appartment, Kaname replied, watching in delight as Satoru's gaze lit up. Kaname was going to enjoy this.

_**An hour later, Kaname had Zero, **_Sayori, Satoru and Natsumi in the back of his limo with him, having called for the car while Zero slept. Much to the annoyance of the ex-human. And it pleased Kaname to get a reaction from Zero. Natsumi felt honoured to be allowed to ride in the same car as a pureblood while Sayori was just as annoyed as Zero; apparently, she'd had to work the next night. Although, not even Zero knew what she did to make so much money in so little time. And Satoru? He was delighted to be riding in a limo. The vampire child seemed to like new experiences.

Kaname leaned back in his seat, studying the other occupants of the car. Natsum sat with Satoru opposite Kaname while Zero and Sayori shared the other seat with Kaname. Sayori was leaning against Zero, sound asleep while Zero tried not to shfit closer to the pureblood to stay comfortable, sitting where he was between Kaname and the only human present. Of course, it didn't help when Kaname stared at him.

"Will you cut it out?" Zero hissed, sparing the older pureblood a glare before returning his attention to the window opposite him. Even with darkly tinted windows, Kaname wore dark sunglasses. Kaname turned his head away a little, watchnig the ex-human out of the corner of his eye, a smug little smile turning the corner of his lips up.

"Cut what out, Kiryu?" he asked, crossing one leg over the other. "I'm not doing anything...yet."

Zero closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the seat, one hand stroknig the hair away from Sayori's face. "You know what," he muttered, gripping the seat hard with his free hand. Kaname just returned his gaze to the ex-human.

"Do I?" Kaname murmured, looking away again. All trace of smugness was gone. The dark-haired pureblood frowned and turned back to Zero. He studied the ex-human for a moment before sighing. "I apologize," he whispered and swiftly looked away again.

Zero's eyes shot open and his head dropped forward as he turned in his seat to look at Kaname, but the pureblood wouldn't meet his gaze. "Kaname?" And there he went, slipping up again and calling the older vampire Kaname instead of Kuran. He groaned, covering his face with the hand that wasn't holding Sayori.

Kaname didn't answer. Instead, he just shook his head and closed his eyes, leaving Zero frowning yet again. This whole situation was confusing. One moment the pureblood was teasing him and making him uncomfortable, and the next he was ignoring Zero and apologizing to him? Zero didn't know what to think... He used to hate the other vampire, ever since he first met him and tried to stab him with a butter knife...but now? Now Zero was confused. Very, very confused. Did Zero still hate Kaname? Or did he like him? Was it ever hate in the first place? Was it jealousy instead?

All this thinking was making his head hurt.

"Zero..?" The ex-human felt Sayori stir and looked down just in time to see her whisper his name. Of course, they were all vampries except for the human, Sayori, so they all heard her, but the whisper was clearly meant for Zero's ears only. Therefore, Kaname and the other vampires ignored the pair for the moment. "Where are we?"

Zero opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again, looking towards Kaname. The ex-human didn't know, mainly becuase he hadn't been paying attention, but since this was Kuran's car, then said pureblood should known where they were. Kaname gave Zero a blank, innocent-looking expression, as if to say 'What? I'm not the driver...' Zero narrowed his gaze at Kaname, but the brunette just gazed back with the same look.

"Toru?" Kaname said after a long moment of silence, looking towards the partition that seperated driver from passenger. The black glass slid down, revealing a dark-haired man sitting at the wheel. He glanced over his shoulder, but all Zero saw were dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.

"Yes, Kuran-sama?"

Kaname inclined his head towards Sayori. "Where are were?"

The dark-haired vampire turned away and sighed. "We are an hour away from Cross Academy and will reach the haven within a few minutes, Kuran-sama."

"Haven?" Zero said, staring at the floor. Kaname ignored the ex-human and focused his gaze on Sayori. She looked a little angry, if Kaname didn't know any better.

"Thank you, Toru," the pureblood said and the partition slid up again. Sayori held Kaname's gaze until the pureblood looked away first. He knew it was a mistake, but Sayori was such a fierce little human. "Zero," Kaname murmured and the ex-human looked up, startled. "That is what I call my home, since it certainly feels like a haven from the rest of our world."

Zero stared at Kaname. The older pureblood now looked almost...wistful. He watched as the older pureblood stared out the window, eyes half-closed and sad-looking. Wistful was certainly one way to describe Kaname at that moment. "Kaname..." Zero clamped a hand over his mouth. _Not again! _But the pureblood smiled slightly and closed his eyes fully, turning his face away from the ex-human. Zero was about to say the pureblood's name again when the car stopped and they heard Toru get out. Then the back door was being opened.

"We have arrived," Toru announced softly. Kaname slid out of the car, waiting patiently for the others to join him before leading the way into the huge, four story mansion before them.


End file.
